


The Immortal Game

by elfhawk3



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Chess, Chess Metaphors, F/M, Gen, Post-Break Up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-22
Updated: 2015-01-22
Packaged: 2018-03-08 16:04:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3215189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elfhawk3/pseuds/elfhawk3
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chess may, or may not, imitate life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Immortal Game

They’re coming back from the altar of Mythal when they find an untended garden teeming with elfroot. She calls a halt to gather it. Cole helps, humming, knife in hand, while Bull and Solas watch for the oversized bears that roam these parts, calling chess moves back and forth.

She follows their game intently as she works. She’s not good at it - Dorian usually beats her on the rare occasions they play, and she finally knows enough of the game to know Cullen lets her win. She’d call him on it, but she’s not certain which of them would be more embarrassed by it. On their travels, Bull and Solas will play without a board. Twenty turns is all she can manage before she loses track.

“Arishok takes tower. Check. What are you doing, Solas?”

She’s excellent at memorization, so when the garden’s chessboard isn’t in use, she’ll set up one of their games and study their moves in hopes of learning something that will make Dorian fight for his win, or Cullen smile when she’s actually made a good move. It’s a different smile than the one he uses when she picks a piece at random because she thinks that part of the board’s been quiet too long. That one's fondly exasperated. Perhaps he knows she knows he’s going easy on her.

“King to E2.”

“All right. Tamassran takes tower. Your last tower, by the way.”

This latest game has been a rapid back and forth of attack and counterattack and Bull’s really only been moving around his queen. It’s the strongest piece on the board, like Bull’s always the strongest. Solas is moving every piece like a general who knows the final objective and isn’t worried about costs. It’s only a game, but she knows chess is an analogy for battle.

"Pawn to E5."

Iron Bull scoffs. “Really? I’ve got my whole army bearing down on your king and you’re moving a pawn? Are you even trying anymore?”

“Think about it, my friend.” Solas sounds more than a little smug.

She remembers Solas trying to convince Sera her Friends needed a greater objective. Pawns darting about the board, with no king of their own to protect, making a minor nuisance of themselves, with no interest in the opponent’s king. Unlike chess, the real world always has someone else waiting to take power and nothing changes. Sera understands that. She's surprised Solas hadn't.

She’s not certain if she should be drawing conclusions from comparing this game to his aborted attempts to give Sera advice.

“Ben-Hassrath to A6.”

They’re still early enough in the game that she hasn’t lost track of the pieces, and she considers the spaces Bull’s king can move to. The corner he has barreled his queen into.

“Knight takes pawn at G7. Check.”

Bull’s queen cannot take the knight. That was why Solas had moved the pawn. He’ll have to move his king.

“King to D8.”

The king has no more room to maneuver - both Solas’s knights and remaining mage threaten the three squares around it. For mate, the mage will have to move, but Bull’s knight can take that square. To force Bull to move it-

Her knife slips and she almost cuts her hand.

Bull hasn’t seen it yet. She’d be proud of herself that she has, but she’s thinking of the look in Solas’s eyes when he pulled away from her after that final kiss. Lost. Apologetic. Already distancing himself.

“Queen to F6. Check.”

He’s sacrificed his queen.

“And now my Ben-Hassrath takes your queen. You’ve got no towers. You’re down to a single mage. Too bad you wasted time moving that pawn to- to- you sneaky son of a bitch.” Bull sounds irritated and awed. Finally he’s seen it. Several moves too late to counter, but it’s not like she could do better. She plays too hesitantly, keeping pieces in reserve just in case, not throwing away all defense in favor of an offense so subtle it knifes your opponent while he’s watching unawares.

“Mage to E7. Checkmate.”

She raises a hand to her bare cheek.

Sacrifice the queen to continue your offense.

"You okay, Boss?" Bull asks.

She pulls her hand away guiltily. "Sorry, what?"

"You looked a thousand miles away." She likes the imagery. She think she would prefer to be there, rather than here, comparing chess to life and wondering if she’s reading too much into things. She knows she’s terrible with symbolism.

She’s silent too long, and Cole speaks instead. “The Iron Bull advances the arishok because it’s like him, everywhere instantly, controlling the court. Solas cedes everything worthy for the only thing worth-“

She and Solas talk at once.

"Stop, Cole."

"That’s enough."

Which of them had he been reading? She looks up at Solas and wonders what her face says. His is completely shuttered. As it has been every time she’s looked since-

She looks away.

Bull looks thoughtful. Possibly trying to figure out where the game went wrong, but more likely considering the farce playing out before him. A Ben-Hassrath never retires; they just stop reporting to their superiors.

Cole looks like someone’s kicked him. She aches in sympathy. Or maybe he’s echoing her. Sometimes all helping does is hurt. "Why does it keep hurting?"

"Not every mistake can be fixed," she replies, not looking at Solas. "No matter how hard you try."

_‘And now my Ben-Hassrath takes your queen.’ ‘I never wanted to hurt you.’_

He’s sacrificing everything. She doesn’t know who he’s playing against. What he’s playing for. She wonders which queen she is in this.

It is the last time she takes Solas with her before the Inquisition’s move on Corypheus.

Check, she thinks as he holds the orb’s broken pieces, her arm still tingling from closing the Breach.

"Inquisitor, are you all right?" She looks up at Cassandra’s shout. When she looks back, Solas is gone. He’s resigned the game.

She thinks she might have been both queens. Sacrificed _and_ outmaneuvered.

**Author's Note:**

> Learn about the Immortal Game [here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immortal_Game). Watch the game as you listen to Bull and Solas play [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ky19-1fuL2U). Wonder to yourself why Bull calls the queen arishok, but refers to the king as king.


End file.
